Uncharted
by Darkness Oversoul
Summary: Spyro and Cynder have finally defeated the Dark Master and fulfilled their destinies as heroes... but what happens next? Neither of the drakes know what awaits them as they charge into the unknown that is life, but they do hold onto the hope that their future can only get brighter from where they currently stand. This story is written to resurrect the vibe from the LoS fics of 2010
1. Uncharted

_**Author's note:**_

I'm going to say it right now: this starting chapter is really REALLY shaky, and has some significant characterization problems. Please give me a chance, and at least read through chapter 2 (which is MUCH better than chapter 1) before deciding whether or not this story is another mediocre Post-DotD fic clogging up the section.

* * *

**Uncharted:**

_Beyond the foothills of the lush mountain lands_

_Lies a river across the lakes_

_And not even fate or destiny's hands_

_Have seen the final turn this river takes_

_All of its bends and mysteries_

_Can only discovered by the open-hearted_

_And even to this day in the river's histories_

_Its end remains uncharted_

* * *

_Chapter One: Uncharted_

Massive chunks of earth rivaling the size of tiny asteroids collapsed in on the cavern that made up the center of the world, roaring and shaking the very air of the subterranean chamber. Amidst this falling rubble and chaos, a black dragoness was desperately flying to escape the cavern, which would be completely caved in within the next ten minutes. Clutched in this dragoness's claws was the one reason that she had fought so valiantly against the forces of the Dark Master with every ounce of her being: her travelling companion and over time, best friend, Spyro.

Cynder exhaustedly soared on through the subterranean cavern with only her will to live and her passion for those she held dear powering her wings. Just as Spyro had carried her out of Convexity when he first rescued her from her master's direct influence, their roles were now reversed, and she was now carrying the purple dragon through their last endeavor of the war.

It was hard to believe that it was finally all over, that Malefor was finally gone. To Cynder, it seemed almost surreal; she had finally faced her greatest fear, the malevolent inner demon that haunted every waking moment of her life, and at long last she had finally defeated it, but the black dragoness could never have done it alone…

In all of her exhaustion, Cynder smiled warmly at the thought of the purple dragon clutched gently in her claws. As their time together went on, the young dragoness couldn't explain it, but being with Spyro started to make her feel… happy somehow. It was a somewhat awkward feeling to Cynder, and the black dragoness felt almost embarrassed by it, but she didn't care. Her future was just a few wing flaps away, and it was the thought of a possible future with Spyro that gave the black dragoness the surge of energy she needed to propel herself and the unconscious purple dragon she carried out of the main cluster of falling rocks, and out into the starry Avalarian night sky.

The earth was still mending itself, and rifts in the surface of the valley could be seen, but its natural beauty still shone through the damage as the celestial moons and thousands of stars cast their faint glow over the mystical enchanted forests and vibrant rolling hills of the land, as well as the snow-covered mountain peaks and softly illuminated cheetah settlement off in the distance. Cynder glided over to the river, and gently set Spyro down. Her final endeavor of the war was complete. They had truly done it. Their battle was won at last! …Or was it? Suddenly remembering the purple dragon's condition, Cynder worriedly rushed back over to her companion, ignoring the searing pain in her wings and limbs from her fatigue.

"Spyro?" asked Cynder as she gently nuzzled the purple dragon, beckoning for him to wake up. There was no response. "Spyro… come on, get up." The black dragoness gently poked Spyro repeatedly with her tail scythe. A tiny shadow of fear crossed Cynder's mind.

'No!' The black dragoness refused to accept it. He couldn't be. Not after all that they had gone through. Fate couldn't be this cruel. "Spyro… please get up!" she pleaded, a little louder than before. By now, the black dragoness was jostling her companion with no response, the seed of fear growing ever larger in her conscience. "Spyro… don't put me through this, get up now please" The black dragoness begged. She brought one of her paws to his neck, and brought the side of her head to his chest. Her fears came to manifestation: there was no pulse: only cold listless scales.

"No…" Cynder backed away from the purple dragon. "No…" Her eyes watered. "**Nooooooo!**" she cried. Her legs gave out from under her, and she fell, broken in heart and mind, on top of the one dragon who had truly accepted her, her only true companion and friend her age. All of those moments Cynder had fought with nothing but hope for the future and the ones she loved to keep her standing strong died at once. She had fought for everything she believed in, only to have it lost at the end of the battle. The black dragoness felt lightheaded as the night scene spun around her and went fuzzy. It didn't matter anymore. Not the new world, not the end of Malefor, not the-

A loud and obnoxious snore from the purple dragon in question startled Cynder out of her catharsis, and she quickly jumped off of Spyro in surprise. The purple dragon rolled over mumbled something incomprehensible as he shifted slightly, and then settled, breathing lightly in a peaceful slumber. It seemed those purple scales weren't as cold and listless as she initially thought. Cynder had never in her life felt such a strong urge to both slap someone and nuzzle them at the same time as she did then.

"Guess I might've misread your vital signs there... heh," said the black dragoness awkwardly to Spyro's unconscious form as she fought back an elated goofy grin that was uncontrollably breaking out across her muzzle. She considered waking him, but for whatever reason, that didn't seem like a good idea, and plus, it would be a crying shame: Cynder found Spyro's sleeping form, well, captivating to say in the least.

The black dragoness then realized that she had been "taking him in" for unintentionally long period of time, and looked away, blushing slightly. Choosing to not make the situation anymore awkward than it already was, Cynder wordlessly lay down next to him, relaxing, finally giving in to the fatigue in her muscles.

The black dragoness felt an incredible sense of relief and pure happiness wash over her. They had survived, **he** had survived, but most importantly, it was over... it was finally over. 'But what happens next?' thought Cynder to herself as she watched the stars through her eyelids. Up until this exact point in her life, the black dragoness had always been in the process of accomplishing some kind of mission, but now… there was no one telling her to directly do something. Of course, the logical thing to do would be to find the guardians and maybe rebuild… but then what? Life? What was "life" exactly? How did one simply… live? Head swimming with thoughts, Cynder drifted off to sleep. It was the most peaceful slumber she had in years

* * *

The cool morning wind blew across Cynder's face, gently rousing her from sleep as it always did. The black dragoness was a natural early riser, and the morning always felt good to her. The blue light of the time before dawn was very soothing, and she could always depend on it to calm her nerves in times of high anxiety, or even if she just wanted to relax. Cynder took in the breeze that blew across her muzzle. The cool wind signaled that the Season of Ice would be setting in across the valley soon, and that would be something to look forward to. Cynder found that she tolerated the colder months of the year better than the warmer ones, probably due to her dark scales.

A strange noise coming from next to her got the black dragoness's attention, and she turned to face the sleeping purple dragon that lay beside her who was snoring away. Cynder smirked. 'Does he know how loud he is when he sleeps?' she thought to herself with a giggle. 'It's honestly kind of cute...'

It was then that the black dragoness remembered the events of the day before, and caught her breath as the memories rushed back to her. One in particular kept coming back to bother her: the time just before Spyro unleashed his fury, fixing the planet.

'How does he feel about me?' she thought to herself, her emotions a maelstrom over the possibilities. Cynder considered waking the purple dragon up to ask him, but that would seem a bit rude. Plus, Cynder had no guarantee that he was even… the black dragoness bought the side of her head to his chest just to be sure. A steady pulse resonated. Worries put to rest, Cynder stood up and stretched out her wings and back. When she was done stretching, the black dragoness started thinking about what she should do now. A growling from her belly gave her the answer she was looking for. Grateful that Spyro wasn't awake to hear the noise, Cynder set out to the nearby woods to see if she could find anything for breakfast.

Hunting was an essential skill and art for the ancestors to master if they wanted to survive, and through the years, one's ability to hunt had become an important cultural skill among dragons. Cynder herself had studied the ancient ways of hunting with Terrador in her few weeks back at the temple. The dragoness had found the art relatively interesting, but what she found even more fascinating in her studies was how the art of hunting influenced dragon social behavior. Traditionally, the males were competitive in their hunting ability, and showed it off, trying to outdo each other. Females on the other paw traditionally stayed in their dens taking care of hatchlings, and occasionally gathered food. However, in her social studies, Cynder had also discovered that dragons often see skills that they themselves possess as highly attractive characteristics in others, and if she could prove herself to be a good huntress…

The black dragoness arrived at the misty forest across the river stealthily, crouching low to the ground so any potential prey would not see her. Despite looking like a normal forest from a distance, one could see the damage done if they looked closely: odd jagged rifts ran across the ground. Trees that had the misfortune of growing on top of such rifts were utterly split in half, sometimes at odd angles. Despite the wrecked state of the woods, Cynder was able to hunt moderately successfully, and before long, she had caught a pair of woodland rabbits in less than two hours.

By now, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, and even though she wanted to hunt for longer, the black dragoness decided that she should be back before Spyro woke up. As she flew back to the river, game in her claws, Cynder noticed that the cheetah village was fortunate enough to be spared most of the damage from the world being temporarily blasted apart. The black dragoness wondered if the village was abandoned at the moment: most of the mature males from the settlement had gone along with her, Spyro and the guardians to the dam, but that left the females, children and elders back at home. Had they made it to safety beneath the surface before The Destroyer completed its march around the world? Cynder could only hope. She would be sure to check later. Cynder spotted Spyro laying by the river where she had left him, and glided in, landing lightly beside him.

* * *

Spyro saw incoherent shapes dancing around in his field of vision as his awareness slowly returned to him. The purple dragon tried to remember where he was: they had left just Warfang through the underground city… the dam… the destroyer… the destroyer! Spyro's eyes bolted open, expecting to see chunks of earth floating out into the abyss, the world completely torn asunder. Instead, he saw two rabbits lying in front of him along with a familiar face smiling down at him warmly.

"You're awake," said Cynder cheerfully as she pulled away from Spyro, and sat down on her haunches in front of him.

"Cynder?" asked the purple dragon, almost in a confused manner, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "What happened… where are we? Oh, my head…" Spyro brought one of his forepaws to his pounding skull. The black she-dragon in front of him smiled.

"Spyro, you saved the world! You did it!" she exclaimed.

"We did… somehow we did," replied the purple distantly. Spyro eventually composed himself and smiled warmly up to his companion. "I couldn't have done it without you, Cynder," he said compassionately. The black dragoness smiled back as Spyro's expression grew hazy again.

"So how are you feeling?" asked Cynder in a concerned manner, noting her companion's change in demeanor.

"My head is pounding… almost tired I guess?" The purple dragon then turned to face Cynder. "Do you have anything to eat?" he asked. "I'm starving."

Cynder gestured to the two rabbits lying in front of him. "I hunted both of these for you a little while ago," she said, offering both of her catches to the purple dragon. Spyro looked hungrily at the rabbits, but restrained himself.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked. Cynder nodded.

"Yeah, just a little while ago I-" the black dragoness was suddenly cut off by a loud rumbling in her belly. She looked up to Spyro, grinning sheepishly. "eheh..." Her plan had failed.

"I take that as a no," replied Spyro with an amused smile as he nudged one of the rabbits in Cynder's direction. "You take it," he offered. Cynder looked longingly at the plump morsel. She herself hadn't eaten in nearly sixteen hours.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Spyro nodded. Cynder pulled the hare closer to her as Spyro did the same for his. Out of politeness, both dragons waited for the other to start eating before they did, but since neither went first, all that came of it was an awkward silence. Cynder eventually smirked

"So, uh… bon appetite!" she said as she began to dig into her rabbit. The ice having been broken, Spyro descended upon his as well. While they ate, Cynder occasionally stole glances over to Spyro, who seemed to be indulging in his meat peacefully. Was now a good time to ask him? The black dragoness was dying to know how he felt. She decided to wait until they were done eating before she brought it up.

"So… where do we go from here?" asked Spyro between bites. Cynder looked up in thought.

"We should really find the guardians and everyone else first," she replied. "But after that, it's anyone's guess." The black dragoness turned to face Spyro. "Maybe we should head back to the temple," she added.

"That fell into the Well of Souls, remember?" reminded Spyro.

"Oh right… duh," said Cynder as she comically knocked herself in the side of her head with her right forepaw. "Well, how about we head back to Warfang instead? Word should be able to reach the guardians pretty quickly from there," she suggested as an alternative.

"Sounds like a plan," replied Spyro as the purple dragon gulped down the last edible part of his rabbit.

"But can you fly though?" asked Cynder before she stripped the last piece of meat off of her own rabbit with her fangs. Spyro stretched his broad golden wings out, testing them experimentally.

"Feels like it," he responded as he gave a few quick test-flaps.

"Well that's a good sign. Do you want to lead the way?" offered Cynder. The purple dragon looked down in embarrassment.

"I don't actually know the way to Warfang from here," he admitted. Spyro found Cynder's offer an unusual change of character for her. The black dragoness was usually adamant about being the one who led, and would sometimes complain whenever Spyro assumed the position, yet now she was offering it freely to him. 'How nice of her,' thought the purple dragon to himself.

"Okay then, I guess I'll lead," replied the black dragoness as she unfurled and flexed her own lithe magenta wings. Spyro was standing now, and about to take a running start to get airborne.

"Spyro wait!" called Cynder, stopping the dragon in his tracks. Spyro turned to face the black dragoness.

"What is it?" he asked. Cynder flushed slightly, part from embarrassment, but part from nervousness.

"Sorry, one more thing." The black dragoness turned to look Spyro square in his lavender eyes.

"Do you remember… just before you unleashed your fury… what I said to you?" she asked. The purple dragon looked up in thought. His memory from the day before was extremely hazy and fragmented, especially the parts leading up to and during the fight with Malefor. He was able to remember pieces of his conversation with Cynder, leading up to just before he unleashed his soul fury, but then… what? Spyro felt like he did have some recollection of the general idea of what happened deep within his subconscious, somewhat like a dream, but other than that, there was nothing. Although… the purple dragon did remember that memory to be a particularly happy one… but he couldn't remember exactly why.

"I'm really sorry Cynder… but I'm having trouble. Was there something you wanted to tell me?" he asked compassionately. It looked like Cynder was about to say something very important, but the second before she did, she hesitated momentarily and then sighed.

"Don't worry about it… it's nothing," she responded. Spyro couldn't be sure, but he thought picked up the slightest somber tone in his companion's voice when she said that.

"…Well, alright. If you want to talk about something, just let me know, okay?" the purple dragon asked. Cynder nodded in response. Their hunger and need for sustenance satisfied, the two young drakes took a running start and hopped into the air, opening their wings as they did so, catching wind and taking to the sky. Cynder soared ahead of Spyro, and occasionally glanced back to make sure that he was flying okay. The purple dragon seemed relatively steady on his wings and together, the two dragons rose higher and higher into the air, Cynder scanning the Autumn-colored mountain scenery for any landmarks that would point her in the direction of Warfang.

Eventually, she spotted the foot-hills laden with evergreens and Spruce trees giving the telltale direction of the Dragon City. Cynder knew the way to Warfang from her many travels as the Dark Master's general. Although they weren't the most pleasant memories, they could be useful knowledge at times. Signaling to Spyro that she had found the way, both dragons took off in the direction that would lead them to their future, their destination in mind but their destinies uncharted.

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_Please review this. You are a kind and wonderful individual if you do so. I take every single review I get to heart. They really mean a lot to me, and make me really happy when I get them. It makes me feel like I've done a good job, like I've made someone else happy with my writing, which is my ultimate goal in the end._

_Whoop whoop, I am SO happy to be writing in a free spirit again like this! =D It feels so good, and I feel so alive!_ _What I love about this chapter in my life is that this story is (almost) completely unplanned, and as the title suggests, uncharted. I want to see how it feels to "discover" a story as I go along. I hope you enjoy the ride… and I hope I do too, for neither of us know where it will lead! It's all Uncharted from here, for you, for me, and for the story, but we've got nothing to lose! Let's charge on past the mountains beyond the valley, and into the unknown lands that await us beyond!_


	2. We Find Our Way by the Moonlight

**Chapter 2: We Find Our Way by the Moonlight**

* * *

Spyro followed closely behind Cynder as the two drakes soared over the ever changing misty woods below. They had been travelling for quite a while now. Flying was one of Spyro's favorite activities. The feeling of the wind travelling across his golden wings while the grasslands and forests went by below was soothing yet exhilarating in a way that only a dragon could know. He had loved the feeling ever since Ignitus first taught him how. Ignitus… Spyro closed his eyes tightly, shielding himself from the memory while he glided on behind Cynder as she led the way. As time went on, Spyro found himself gradually drifting towards the black dragoness until he was parallel to her side.

"Really beautiful when you look at it from above, isn't it?" said Spyro in reference to the world below. Cynder turned to face Spyro, acknowledging him before facing forward again. The black dragoness smiled.

"It is pretty, isn't it?" she responded. Cynder sighed. "Kind of sad though, how it all gets overlooked in times of war…" Her expression darkened at the thought. Spyro noticed his companion's change in demeanor.

"It's done now, Cynder," reassured Spyro with a joyful smile in an attempt to brighten the mood. "The war is finally over."

'_But that doesn't mean there aren't permanent scars to remind us that it occurred,_' thought Cynder to herself, her thoughts growing more and more desolate. '_To remind everyone of the murderous dragoness who gave the scars to them…_' Her pessimistic thought was soon calmed. Cynder knew in her heart that she wasn't responsible for the suffering that she had caused.

'_Yet why can't I just let it go?_' she thought to herself. Another personal matter hung in Cynder's conscience, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Spyro about it now. Not while he was so happy. Not after all that they had been through and all that he had done for her. Before either drake could say another word, something whizzed upwards past Spyro and Cynder, jarring both out of their conversation.

"What was that?" asked Cynder as she looked up to the sky above. Spyro followed the black dragoness's gaze and was able to make out a long narrow object above them just as it reached its apex and began its descent. The sight of something else approaching him out of the corner of his eye made Spyro veer to the left just in time as another object sailed past him.

"Arrows!" cried the purple dragon with alarm. Spyro and Cynder both stopped midflight and turned their eyes to the ground, scanning for the location of their assailant, ready to dodge anymore arrows sent their way. Cynder saw movement in the periphery of her vision, and strafed to the right to avoid another arrow that flew by. As the black dragoness traced the path of the arrow back to the ground, she realized that even if she hadn't veered herself out of the way of the projectile's path, it still would've missed by a longshot.

'Is this an inexperienced archer? No, even a novice marksman would have been more accurate than that. Something else is at play here…' Cynder saw another arrow flying towards her from the ground where she was scanning. It was then that she found it. Down in a clearing in the forest below, a robed figure dressed in red was signaling to her. The black dragoness recognized the figure at once.

"Spyro, look over there!" she called as she gestured to the clearing below. "It's Hunter!"

Spyro stopped midflight and looked in the direction that Cynder was pointing in. Sure enough, a figure in the small clearing below that was standing on a white rock jutting out of the ground was waving to them, and apparently calling as well. "Let's go to him," said Spyro as he zoomed downward, Cynder following behind. The robed figure, seeing that he had gotten the young dragons' attention, sheathed his remaining arrows in his quiver as the two drakes circled in for a landing.

"Hunter!" called Spyro as the purple dragon ran over to the cheetah, Cynder following suit.

"Young dragons… You never cease to amaze me," said the feline with glowing admiration as the two drakes approached him.

"Hunter, we did it! We stopped the Dark Master." said Spyro cheerfully.

"Just as I knew you would," replied Hunter with his wise gaze. "We all waited in the caverns far below the surface of Warfang holding our breath while the battle played out, but we still hung onto the hope that you might succeed. It was then that a bright light pierced the darkness through the cracks in the earth." Hunter smiled. "It was then that we knew that you two prevailed." Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but glow with pride. Cynder remembered something else that she wanted to ask Spyro about, but a startling sound knocked the question right out of the black dragoness's head.

"And who helped you all along up until the dam?" asked a voice from the forest surrounding the clearing. To her dismay, Cynder instantly recognized who it was.

'Oh boy,' thought the black dragoness to herself as Sparx hovered into the clearing, batting away at webs strewn between the birch branches with his hands.

"Geez, you'd think it would be harder to lose something you're travelling with that can't fly for once!" shouted the dragonfly as he made his way into the clearing.

"Sparx!" called Spyro excitedly as he ran over to his adoptive brother. "You're safe! Oh, I'm so glad…" Spyro attempted to nuzzle the dragonfly, who pulled himself away.

"Hey, hey, I know I'm irresistible, but enough with the snuggling, Sheesh!" Spyro stopped his advancing and just stood as Sparx faced him. "I see you haven't gotten any skinnier since I last saw you either. You'd think that with saving the world and all, you'd at least burn off some of that extra weight."

Cynder watched as Spyro and Sparx exchanged comments with an amused smile. Seeing them going at it like brothers again was just pure gold. '_You know, maybe he won't be such of a bother now,_' thought Cynder to herself. It was then that Sparx acknowledged her presence.

"I see the evil she-dragon still hasn't left us yet," he said.

'…_Or not._' Cynder glowered in Sparx's direction. Fortunately for the dragoness, Spyro came to her side.

"Hey, take it easy on her Sparx. We defeated the Dark Master as a team. I wouldn't have stood a chance without her," he said in Cynder's defense. Cynder smiled in gratitude.

"I see she's got you wrapped around her evil little paw," said Sparx critically. "I wonder what other horrible nasty things she did to you while you were chained to her…" Cynder's eyes went wild.

"You're dead!" she yelled as she leapt after the dragonfly, who yelped in surprise as he began flying for his life. Spyro and Hunter watched, each stifling laughter as Sparx was chased around the clearing with an angry black dragoness snapping at his heels.

"He seems to not fully think things through sometimes," commented Hunter to Spyro.

"Tell me about it," replied the purple dragon as he rolled his eyes. Eventually, Cynder managed to lightly but firmly clamp her maw around Sparx's tail section, and yank him out of the air, much to the dragonfly's horror.

"Put me down! Put me down now!" yelled Sparx as he lay helplessly clenched in Cynder's jaws.

"I dunno. Breakfast wasn't entirely filling," said the black she-dragon through her clenched teeth with a triumphant fanged smile. Spyro walked over to her.

"Come on Cynder, let him go. He freaks out easily." Cynder spat out the bedraggled dragonfly, who landed on the ground, cursing under his breath.

"Didn't taste like anything worth eating anyway," said Cynder. "Maybe I could turn him into a nightlight instead." Everyone had a good laugh, (except for Sparx of course!) and the mood ultimately settled. Eventually, Cynder remembered what she was going to ask.

"Hey Spyro," she called, getting Spyro's attention.

"Hmm?"

"Are you… still able to use your powers after what happened in the core?" Cynder's question caught Spyro off guard and got the attention of Hunter, who knelt beside the purple dragon.

"Are you at least able to generate a flame?" asked the cheetah. Spyro never thought of this before. He focused on his inner mana and noticed that the familiar spark that allowed him to channel fire was simply not there.

"I… I don't know. I can try though." Spyro attempted to use his normal technique to create a basic stream of flame, but when he opened his maw, nothing came out. The dragon tried again, this time with more of a conscious effort, but still to the same result. Slightly frustrated, Spyro tried again and again, attempting a different element each time, but all to no avail.

"Careful Spyro. Don't strain yourself," warned Hunter. Spyro sighed.

"I guess I'm powerless for now..." Hunter smiled sympathetically.

"Don't lose hope. Once we return to the guardians, they should be able to help you regain your lost abilities." Spyro's expression brightened again.

"So where were you going before you found us, Hunter? And why was Sparx with you?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I was, in fact, searching for you two. After the world was pulled back together from its brief fracture, we returned to the surface of Warfang in sad spirits: after pulling off a magical feat the magnitude of the one you did Spyro, many thought that you were dead."

"I didn't cry, I swear I didn't cry," chimed in Sparx. "I knew you were still alive… I knew it all along." Spyro smiled at the dragonfly's antics.

"Anyway," continued Hunter. "Once we had gathered ourselves, small search parties were assembled to try and find you. I awoke very early this morning and was originally going to go alone, but Sparx came to me insisting that he come along, saying something about sticking with people he knew and not resting until he learned what became of you, and here we are now."

"How far away is Warfang from here on foot?" asked Cynder. Hunter looked up, contemplating the distance.

"At this rate, we should arrive late in the day around nightfall if we don't stop," calculated the cheetah. The black dragoness stood up.

"Then let's get going," said Cynder as Spyro got up and followed suit. Both drakes turned to face Hunter expectantly.

"Lead the way."

* * *

The rays of the setting sun cast their warm yellow glow on the brick walls surrounding the Southern side of the Dragon City, softly touching its ramparts and battlements that overlooked a small valley below surrounded by a forest. At the edge of this forest, a small party consisting of a cheetah, two dragons, and a dragonfly was making its way out of the trees.

"I see it! Finally we're here!" called Sparx as the group fully emerged from the woods and started up the hill.

'_Good to see that the city was spared any major damage from the Destroyer,_' thought Cynder to herself as she climbed alongside Spyro. Once the group had made it to the top of the hill, Hunter led them over to the south gate, which he unlocked with a key.

"We should first seek out the guardians," said the cheetah as he opened the doors. "I'm not sure of the others, but Terrador should be overseeing reconstruction of the major buildings damaged during the siege. Most of the moles should be contributing to the effort as well. They should be finishing for the day soon. Let's seek him out. Ah, that reminds me." The cheetah turned to Spyro "What became of Ignitus?" The purple dragon momentarily looked distant.

"He… he formed a barrier around us with his life force so we could safely pass through the belt of fire," replied Spyro flatly. Understanding the purple dragon's meaning, Hunter bowed his head respectfully.

"Ignitus… you will be honored as a hero for your sacrifice. It will not be in vain." The cheetah led Spyro, Cynder and Sparx into Warfang, and along the streets towards the center of the city, passing through a neighborhood as they did. While she walked, Cynder noticed distinctive patterns in the architecture of the area. The black dragoness was not alone in her thoughts.

"Geez, what happened to this place? Is this some kind of dump?" asked Sparx as he noted the look of the sector of the town that they were walking through.

"Is this a slum?" asked Cynder more directly as the group passed under a mole clothesline that ran overhead. Hunter looked around as he walked, taking in the area.

"Ah yes… the less fortunate side of Warfang. Means less now than it did when the city prospered though. Fascinating how times of crisis are the great equalizer among the classes."

After passing through the small tenements and shanty houses of the slum, the group walked down a few more streets before finally arriving at Warfang's main hub where a group of moles, as well as a few cheetahs who were lending their help to the reconstruction, was carrying bricks, transporting them in wheelbarrows and fixing them in the wall of the broken council building. Sure enough, at the center of the reconstruction was a large earth dragon giving directions and overseeing the process.

"Terrador!" called out Hunter. The earth guardian looked up from the mole that he was previously speaking to and over to where Hunter was standing. When the earth guardian saw Spyro and Cynder next to the cheetah, his eyes lit up in surprise.

"You're alive!" he called out as Hunter and the young dragons approached him. A look of glowing admiration appeared on Terrador's aged muzzle.

"I knew they could do it," added Hunter as he looked over to the young dragons with a knowing gaze. After a brief moment of silent praise, Hunter turned to face the earth guardian again, the cheetah's expression fading back to a serious one. "Terrador, where can we find the other guardians to bring them the news?" he asked. The green dragon's muzzle returned to its normal determined expression.

"Volteer is here in town working with the city's architects on designing the city layout, but Cyril is away. Some sort of family crisis occurred in his home village up north, and I'm afraid he can't be with us at the moment. By the way, what became of Ignitus?" asked the earth guardian.

"Ignitus… died in the Belt of Fire to ensure that Spyro and Cynder would have safe passage through the flames," answered Hunter solemnly. Terrador lowered his head in respect.

"You were a leader and a hero to us all…" A quiet moment came over Terrador and Hunter as whispers circulated through the group of workers over the news of Ignitus' passing. The news of Hunter's successful return naturally drew the crowd's attention over to the purple and black dragons standing alongside Terrador and Hunter. The volume of the crowd's inner conversations amongst themselves rose sharply. When Terrador noticed this, he composed himself back to his usual leader's attitude.

"May I have everyone's attention?" he bellowed, causing everyone to go silent. Once the silence had fallen and everyone's attention was on him, the earth guardian continued. "Thank you. I have a few announcements before we disperse for the day. First, it brings me great sadness to be the bringer the news that our beloved fire guardian, Ignitus, has passed on from us to join the ranks of the ancestors." A slight murmur moved through the crowd as those who hadn't realized the news beforehand learned of Ignitus' fate.

"However, his passing was not in vain," continued Terrador, a slow smile growing across his muzzle as he gestured to the purple and black dragons before him. "It was because of Ignitus's sacrifice that Spyro and Cynder were able to defeat the Dark Master and halt the destruction of the world, and it is thanks to him that these two heroes are standing with us today." Cynder couldn't help but blush in response to being the center of the attention of an entire crowd.

Terrador spread his great wings for effect. "Now we as a society – no, as a world may finally rise out of the ashes that the Dark Master reduced us to, and rebuild Warfang, nay all of the kingdoms of the realms to their former glory and splendor. The war is at long last won!" A lively and enthusiastic cheer rang out unanimously among the workers. The guardian smiled, happy that his motivational speech had the desired effect. "That is all. Everyone is dismissed."

As Terrador's construction party dispersed in good spirits for their homes, the earth guardian turned back over to Spyro, Cynder and Hunter.

"I trust you will be heading back to your home village in Avalar, correct?" asked the green dragon to Hunter. The cheetah's expression grew slightly melancholic.

"I'm sorry to say it, but yes. I would stay and help you rebuild… but my village needs me," said the cheetah.

"I understand," replied the guardian with an empathetic smile.

"So this is goodbye?" asked Spyro as Hunter slung his bow and quiver over his shoulders.

"I will stay in town for the night, but I will be departing tomorrow morning," replied Hunter, who smiled with admiration. "Spyro, Cynder, it was an honor fighting alongside you."

"It was an honor for us too," said Spyro, bowing his head.

"Seriously dude. We would've been the golem's dinner if you hadn't been there," Sparx even had some encouraging words to say. Everyone had a laugh at that one. Once the group was settled, Cynder spoke up.

"Where will everyone be staying for the night?" she asked, noting that dusk was setting in, and a mole was travelling around, lighting up the streetlights on the side of the road with a long flaming pole.

"I will probably stay at an inn somewhere in town," said Hunter.

"As for you and Spyro, you'll be going with me," said Terrador. Spyro nodded compliantly, Cynder following suit. Terrador turned back to face Hunter.

"I believe this is where we part ways, Hunter. Salrah larut," entreated the earth guardian. Hunter nodded.

"Salrah larut to you as well," replied the cheetah as he started on his way to the inn. Spyro watched him go with a slightly heavy heart, but it was for the best in the end. Now that the war was over, the world could focus on rebuilding and becoming prosperous again… but what did that last phrase mean? Spyro turned over to Cynder.

"What does 'salrah larut' mean?" he asked.

"It's a wind dragon phrase," she explained. "It roughly means 'may your village be safe, and may your family prosper.' It's derived from the traditional language of their clans up in the northern ranges."

"I see," replied Spyro. "Where did you learn that?" Cynder shrugged.

"Read it in a book a long time ago I guess." Spyro felt slightly embarrassed. He was never really into books. Spyro and Cynder followed Terrador through the streets of Warfang under the moons and stars of the oncoming night, weaving through dark alleyways and main roads lit up with street lamps.

"Where are we going?" asked Spyro. Terrador looked over his shoulder to acknowledge the purple dragon.

"In the western quarter of Warfang is a small conservatory of magic where we will be spending the night. In better times, it was a remote and quiet place of study away from the bustle of the city where distinguished dragon pupils would be mentored directly by the guardians… but those times are long gone," explained Terrador.

"How is the conservatory used now?" asked Cynder.

"When it was closed down right before the war, the conservatory quickly faded into disuse. Last night was the first time in sixteen years that the gates to its courtyard were unsealed. At the moment, it serves as temporary housing. We will be using the conservatory for the night until more ideal arrangements are made." The three dragons and dragonfly made their way down a dirt path in the more secluded side of Warfang. "Volteer should be arriving shortly as well," explained Terrador as the group briskly traveled the streets.

* * *

By the time Spyro, Cynder and Terrador reached the Conservatory of Magic, the second celestial moon had risen into the sky. Cynder took notice. The black dragoness had always loved the night. The moons were calming to her, alleviating her of her anxieties while the darkness provided an optimistic vibe that held the possibility of unseen good things to come. The moons in particular were especially bright tonight. Cynder just wished that she could've enjoyed it. That the decision that was nagging at her conscience just wasn't there.

Cynder kept her feelings to herself as Terrador led the group through the gates of the conservatory courtyard, and up to the main doors. A small dry fountain stood in the center of the lawn with a pathway circulating around the structure leading up to the main building with a side path leading to a garden area on the left. Two large marble statues decorated the area, standing on either side of the doorway. The statues depicted two different dragons in noble stances. Cynder guessed that they were mythological heroes from ancient times based on the armor that they wore. Terrador drew a runic pattern in the face of the twin doors using his front right claw, and the doors opened. The party stepped through.

Once everyone was inside, several torches lining the walls magically ignited, lighting up the marble walls of the reception chamber. At the other side of the room were two hallways leading deeper into the building. Various mosaic windows lined the room's outer edge with various scenes from famous moments in dragon history, Cynder recognizing a few in particular. Outside and around the building, the night time breeze occasionally whispered through the trees, creating a distinctive rustling sound, amidst a mysterious wind chime could be heard from beyond.

"Sleeping arrangements haven't been properly decided yet. For now, everyone will have to find somewhere to rest for the night on their own," said Terrador, who turned around to face Spyro and Cynder inquisitively. "Has everyone had dinner?" Spyro felt the gnawing emptiness in his stomach at the question.

"We skipped lunch so we would make it to Warfang by sundown and haven't eaten since."

"I see," said Terrador. "Fortunately, the kitchen was restocked last night. There should be enough ingredients to make beef stew for everyone."

"Sounds great," said Spyro with a little enthusiasm.

"And what about me?" asked Sparx? "I'm not into that meaty stuff."

"We should have some butterflies in the kitchen as well," replied Terrador.

"Great, great," said Sparx. "'Bout six or seven should do it."

Spyro gave Sparx a look that said '_are you serious?'_ the dragonfly sighed.

"Alright, two is enough for me." Terrador nodded.

"Okay then. I will go prepare dinner for all of us. Volteer should be arriving soon. Make yourselves at home in the meantime," said the earth guardian as he started walking towards the hallway that led to the kitchen. As soon as the guardian left the chamber, Cynder started towards the opposite hallway.

"Where are you going?" called Spyro as she was halfway across the room. The black dragoness turned backwards to Spyro.

"Just looking around," she called back.

"Okay," said Spyro as Cynder disappeared into the hallway. Once she was gone, Sparx flitted over to Spyro's side again.

"Honestly bro, what do you see in her? The minute she gets the chance, she always runs off by herself and avoids everyone… not to mention she's tried to kill me on numerous memorable occasions."

"You're kind of hard on her if you haven't noticed, Sparx," answered Spyro. "She's been through so much, being Malefor's servant for most of her life. I could never imagine the guilt she must live with…" The more Spyro thought about it, the more he found himself truly pitying the black dragoness. She had not only been responsible for the deaths of so many, but she had never been nurtured while she was young and allowed to develop: she had been simply robbed of a childhood altogether. The purple dragon felt a cold shiver.

At that moment, the main doors of the conservatory opened, and an aged but robust yellow dragon stepped through. When he noticed the purple dragon in the center of the room, his jaw dropped in surprise.

"You… you're alive!" called out Volteer. Spyro braced himself.

* * *

The moment Cynder was by herself in the hall, she started mulling over the question that was gnawing at her heart while she aimlessly walked through the corridor: would she stay?

When Spyro had originally rescued her from her corrupted form in Convexity, the young dragoness felt out of place. To be living in a temple with her former enemies and arch nemesis was already strange, yet for the first time in her life, she was shown genuine kindness. Why didn't the guardians seem to show the slightest contempt towards her after she kidnapped them and drained their magic? Why was Spyro so supportive to her when she was struggling to adjust to her younger body in combat training with the guardians? Why did she find herself opening up to him so easily during their little talks between training, saying things that she had never told anyone before?

The black dragoness couldn't understand it at the time. Not the guardians. Not Spyro. Not even herself. Cynder had tried to run away from the temple to find where she belonged in the world, only to be kidnapped, twice. The black dragoness almost missed the last few days with Spyro. During her travels, her role was so simple: defeat her old master and aid the Avalarians in the war. Yet now the war was over and here Cynder stood in the very city that she had less than four years ago attacked and ravaged as an enemy to conquer.

'_I've slaughtered and menaced these people, destroying their homes and families, yet now I dare to show my face to them and ask for their forgiveness and resources…' _the black dragoness shut her eyes tightly as she passed by a large empty chamber in the hallway, probably used as an aerial training room when the conservatory was still operational. It was then that another thought crossed Cynder's mind: Spyro. Cynder hated it. Not Spyro, but her emotions. She knew that she had feelings for the purple dragon, and she cursed herself for it. She didn't deserve his kindness. She didn't deserve him at all. Not after all that she had done to the world.

'_Yet why does he still show me so much sympathy?_' thought Cynder to herself. A giddy thought of Spyro's possible mutual feelings for her surfaced in the black dragoness's mind in response, but she quickly dashed it with disgust, cursing her teenaged state for interfering with her emotions and judgment. The dragoness realized that in her musings, she had wandered into another room, this one lined with empty shelves.

'_Is this a library?_' thought Cynder to herself. Out of curiosity, she began searching the shelves in the moonlight. For a while, the dragoness found nothing, but while she was checking the top shelf near the far corner of the room by the window, something caught her eye.

Leaning very close against the side of the shelf was a moderately sized book. The way it was carefully tilted against the shelf made it hard to see unless looked at closely. The previous inhabitants of the conservatory must have overlooked it when they emptied the library. Cynder carefully grabbed the novel out of its dark hiding place and read the cover.

"_Tales from the Ages: a Collection of Dragon Folktales and Myths._ Oh, this book?" Cynder recognized the novel. She had read it occasionally in the temple's study back when she was staying there with the guardians and Spyro. She had never come close to finishing all of the stories inside. Cynder did have some time in her claws before dinner. Plus, reading would be good for her. It would help dissolve some of her angst.

'_Why not?_' Slinging the tome over her wing by its leather strap, she made her way out of the dark library and back into the slightly brighter hallway. Dragons were able to see well in the dark, but it wasn't good for their eyes, so it would be wise not to read in the library. Cynder walked back down the hall towards the room that Spyro was in, but stopped when she heard Volteer's voice. '_Don't want to deal with that, do I?' _thought Cynder to herself with a slight smirk. Lying down on her underbelly under a torch, Cynder opened the book to a random page, skipping back until she was at the beginning of the folk tale that she had flipped to.

'_A Witch's Tail?'_ thought Cynder as she read the title. '_Well, here we go._'

* * *

**A Witch's Tail**

_Once among the ages, a dragoness named Melusine was born in the small mountain city of Moore. From her youngest days, instead of an element, Melusine was gifted with powerful and mystifying magical abilities, but she had an unfortunate flaw: her face had a deformity, and she was shunned by her peers and her fellow townfolk._

_Using her magic in front of others sparked an unexplainable aggression from them. Dragons her age would purposely fly in front of Melusine in groups during flight training, causing her to often become injured from crash landings, and none of her year-mates would play with her during free time. Melusine was perceived as a threat, and she grew ashamed of her powers, hiding them away. As time went on and Melusine avoided using her abilities, her magical development became stunted. Even without her magical abilities distancing Melusine from her peers, she was still shunned. Oh, how she was shunned._

_As the days went on and Melusine grew older, the shunning took its toll and her heart grew cold and unfeeling. Wanting to escape the abuse, she isolated herself from the world once she was emancipated on her twentieth hatchday and lived as a hermit in a cave on the lonely side of the mountain for many years, honing her undeveloped magical abilities to keep herself busy. One day in her solitude, Melusine accidentally discovered a spell that she had never used before. At first when she cast it, nothing happened so she continued on with her studies. It wasn't until Melusine later went outside to drink from the brook outside her cave that she noticed how her face's blurred reflection seemed different somehow._

_Curious, the dragoness ventured to a pond in a clearing of the forest that surrounded her cave. When she saw her reflection, Melusine recoiled in surprise. The face that looked back out to her was that of Veneria, goddess of love and beauty. Excited at her discovery, Melusine returned to her home to experiment with the spell. It didn't take long for the sorceress to learn to activate and deactivate the spell at will. A playful grin rested on the dragoness's muzzle that night as she thought of all that she was going to do with her new ability._

_When Melusine used the spell on herself again the next day and ventured away from her lonely abode and back into Moore for the first time in years, the town that used to be her torment was suddenly at her feet, its welcoming townsfolk practically catering to her heart's every desire. Not only did no one recognize who she was, everywhere she looked, dragons suddenly accepted her. They seeked her. As she visited Moore more and more, an icy malice grew in Melusine's heart at the shallowness of her fellow dragon kind, and following her instincts, the dragoness began to toy with the hearts of the people of the town. It became a game of Melusine's to lure males into her enchanting claws and then betray them when the time was right, breaking their hearts, making them feel her old pain._

_The days and months went on, and one day in Melusine's idylls, a male came into her midst that seemed different from the rest. While most others fawned over her beauty, this one seemed drawn by her abilities. Since he seemed to have more substance than the other dragons that routinely pursued her during the Season of Newleaf, Melusine decided to hear him out. __She learned that he also possessed extraordinary magical abilities, elemental in nature, and that he was training at a temple far south of the mountains of Moore that he was currently visiting to hone his skills. The two started seeing each other, teaching one another of their own magical powers._

_As time went on, Melusine began to see the signs that it was the perfect time to break this male's heart, but something in her own heart stopped Melusine from doing so. A mysterious curiosity had come over her, and the dragoness wanted to instead do an experiment. One late night after she had trained with the dragon, she deactivated the enchantment that held her beauty and revealed her true face to him. At first, the male was initially surprised, but he told Melusine that her appearance didn't matter to him. Her abilities were what enchanted him, and she had obtained his adoration in the process._

_Melusine dearly wanted to love this dragon but alas, her heart, through rejection and abuse had hardened, and could not feel the emotion that she yearned for. When the male heard this, he offered to transfer his own ability to feel emotion to Melusine through a black magic spell that he had learned with her. The dragoness was alarmed and warned him that his heart would grow hard and cold as hers was, but the dragon accepted this, willing to trade everything else he held dear in the world for her._

_Hearing that the dragon had accepted his destiny, she began the process of the spell that would transfer the male's empathy to her own heart. Golden circles surrounded the two as Melusine chanted, and a thread of light appeared between them, connecting their chests. Melusine watched as the male dragon grew drowsy. The thread of light reached into their hearts as wisps of silver traveled down the thread from the male into Melusine as his empathy was sucked out of his soul and siphoned into her own._

_When the process was over, Melusine felt a stirring and overwhelming feeling of emotion in her heart that she had never felt in her life until that very moment, and she was taken in the night. However within the following days, the male dragon grew distant and isolated from the rest of the world. He still had a heart for Melusine, for their bond was sealed, but the dragon found himself unexplainably dissatisfied. He began to obsessively pursue and develop his own powers, beyond what his teachers could have dreamed of. The acquisition of power only tainted his heart further until he grew dangerous, and the seven dragon kings fearing for the safety of their kingdoms, exiled him from the realms. Melusine, forever loyal to her mate, followed him into exile with their two children._

* * *

"Cynder?"

Cynder was startled out of her reading when she heard Spyro calling her name. She quickly closed the book and got on her feet.

"Yes?" she called back as Spyro appeared at the end of the hall.

"Terrador asked me to get you. It's dinner time."

"Alright, coming," said Cynder, who left the book leaned up against the wall under the torch in the hallway as she walked over to where Spyro was. When the two reached the front chamber of the conservatory, they took the hallway on the opposite side. As she walked with Spyro, Cynder's mind went back to the folk tale that she had just read. Cynder found the story somewhat of a "dragoness tale" but she still found it interesting and entertaining to read. The part with the spell was especially rattling to her. To actively interfere with another's emotions with a spell, draining their ability to feel them… it was fascinating yet made Cynder feel sickened. Down the hallway a bit, torchlight shone out of a room a few doorways down on the right indicating that it was in use.

"Might want to brace yourself," suggested Spyro jokingly as the pair approached the doorway.

"Why?" asked Cynder. When she saw the yellow dragon inside, her question answered itself. Volteer was sitting at a moderately sized dining table conversing with Terrador and when he saw Cynder, his face lit up with interest. Terrador took notice.

"So I was thinking maybe three weeks from today would be ideal," said the earth guardian in an effort to keep Volteer from veering into an excited lecture. Spyro and Cynder took their places on the other side of the table. When they were seated, Cynder nudged Spyro.

"What are they talking about?" she asked.

"I think they're discussing plans for a festival or celebration," said Spyro as Terrador passed out ceramic bowls to everyone at the table. Each one was engraved with artistic designs of creatures. Spyro's was an ice dragon and Cynder's was a wolf. Sparx, who was hovering over a seat next to Spyro, got a bowl with a parrot design. When the dragonfly saw this, he groaned.

"Ugh, don't remind me of those birds. I had just forgotten about them," complained Sparx. Spyro smirked.

"They were a pain, weren't they?" he asked, turning to Cynder.

"Tell me about it. I hated that stupid nickname they gave me. 'Queen of Conquer,' what does that even mean?" she said, rolling her eyes as Terrador ladled beef stew into the bowls of the dragons at the table. For Sparx, a pair of rainbow-winged butterflies was prepared in his dish. Once dinner was served, everyone started to eat.

As they ate, Spyro attempted to make conversation with Sparx and Cynder. Sparx would answer the purple dragon and reciprocate conversation back to him. Spyro found that Cynder on the other hand was more distant, or maybe "distant" didn't have the right meaning for the purple dragon. Cynder would answer questions and comments with reasonable responses, laughing along when someone made a joke, but she would go back to silence afterwards, almost as if her expression said: "I don't want to talk; I'd rather think instead," and Spyro got the feeling that something was amiss with her. After everyone had eaten and was settled, Terrador stood up.

"We still have some time before bed. I want everyone to find an acceptable sleeping location." The earth guardian motioned to a runic clock on the wall. "Once this clock reaches an hour before midnight, there is not to be a single sound out of anyone. I expect everyone to be settled in by quarter 'till then." Terrador collected everyone's ceramic dishes. Spyro glanced up to the mechanism on the wall. Runes in its surface read the time of nine thirty. They had an hour and a half. Cynder was leaving the dining chamber, and Spyro was about to join her when Volteer turned in his direction.

"Spyro, there are a few complications surrounding your elemental abilities that need to be addressed. Will you please come with me, young dragon?" asked the electric guardian.

"Yes Volteer," replied Spyro obediently. Volteer led Spyro a few doors down the hall until they arrived inside a large circular room. From its shape, Spyro guessed that it was an elemental training room.

"This is an elemental training chamber, not unlike the one that you used back at the temple," said Volteer, confirming Spyro's hunch. "After unleashing a fury of the magnitude that you did in the planet's core, you are unable to access your elemental abilities, correct?"

"That's right," replied Spyro. The yellow dragon nodded.

"There are a few tests that I want to try to see if we can diagnose the nature of your powerless condition. This room will be useful in the procedure," said Volteer. "Are you ready to begin?" Spyro nodded. Volteer drew a rune pattern in the crystal mechanism on the wall, and the room came to life. A blue light exerted from the crystal and into the yellow dragon as the torches on the walls ignited one by one. When Spyro looked up to Volteer, he could see that the electric guardian's eyes were glowing with a bluish aura.

"What's happening?" asked Spyro. Volteer smiled to the purple dragon knowingly.

"This room has been connected to my consciousness. I am its current master, and can will this chamber to carry out many processes. For example…" as the electric guardian finished his sentence, a purple spirit gem cluster erupted out of the floor in the middle of the room.

"I haven't seen one of those in a while," said Spyro.

"Ah yes. When the Dark Master raised his second army, he laid a curse on the land, preventing spirit gems from growing altogether. The only dragon with access to the gems was the Dark Master himself." Volteer lowered his head. "Without the power of fury crystals on our side we were nearly driven to extinction... but now the Dark master is imprisoned and his influence is waning. We can see the growth of spirit gems yet," Volteer turned to Spyro, who was slightly dazed by how fast the guardian was speaking. "I want you to break that cluster in the center of the room until you are brimming with their power. Once you have reached your limits, I want you to attempt a fury of any kind."

Spyro was slightly worried about the dangers of this test, but Volteer seemed to know what he was doing, and the purple dragon trusted the guardian's wisdom. Spyro walked over to the center of the room and started breaking the crystal cluster, absorbing the energy that came out of it. The purple dragon felt that familiar burning in the back of his mind that came whenever he absorbed such crystals, but there was still no elemental spark in him to fuel it.

"Gouge harder! Absorb as much as you possibly can!" called Volteer excitedly.

The burning in Spyro's mind increased until it was excruciatingly painful. Spyro shut his eyes tightly and kept going per Volteer's urging. As he chipped off more of the crystal, it just grew back indefinitely.

At last, Spyro couldn't hold anymore of the energy, and let his instincts take over, unleashing what he stored inside of him. Purple magic flooded through the room as Volteer shielded his eyes with his wings. When the "fury" was completed, Spyro simply stood again in the center of the room as if nothing happened.

"Astounding! What an incredible discovery we've just made! This will be monumental in the research of mana and the biology of…" Spyro patiently waited for Volteer to settle down. Eventually, the electric guardian stilled his tongue.

"So what was that exactly?" asked Spyro. Volteer's blue gaze returned to the purple dragon.

"Pure spirit energy. An empty fury of sorts. I hypothesized that it might be possible, and now here I see it before my very eyes!" Spyro wondered about the nature of the fury, but didn't want to initiate another one of Volteer's lectures.

"So what about getting my powers back?" asked the purple dragon. Volteer looked back into the room as a cluster of green gems appeared in the spirit gem cluster's place.

"I still have a few more tests that I want to try before I make a diagnosis on your magical condition, but we are rapidly approaching that goal, young dragon. I can promise you that." Volteer had Spyro break and absorb the green gem cluster, which to his relief didn't produce a mind rattling effect like the spirit gem cluster did. Instead, it brought on a feeling that Spyro had experienced a long time ago in his days back at the swamp with Sparx when they had first encountered a small green gem cluster but didn't know what it was.

"Describe the sensations that you are currently experiencing to me if you will," called Volteer from across the room. Spyro stopped his breaking of the crystal cluster momentarily.

"I've felt like this before," he called back. "At the swamp when Sparx and I first found a cluster of green gems. We didn't know what they were, and I accidentally broke a piece off and it absorbed into me," explained Spyro. "It kind of feels like trying to remember something that you learned long ago and forgot about, but can't quite remember what it is."

"I see," said Volteer in response among other incomprehensible muttering. The yellow dragon seemed to be making calculations in his mind. Spyro went back to breaking the green gem cluster. As the sensation grew in his mind, a memory surfaced in the purple dragon. Spyro couldn't quite place where the memory came from; it was really only a feeling that he remembered experiencing. The feeling was hard to describe, but it felt primordial and unexplainably soothing, almost like his mother was lying protectively around him, guarding her sleeping hatchling on a warm starry night, under a willow tree in a valley during the Season of Fire. Something about the mother figure in the sensation seemed different though. It did feel like Nina, Spyro's loving adoptive dragonfly parent, but it didn't feel like the figure was… her. Spyro had grown so lost in the sensation that Volteer's excited yell felt like a blow to the head.

"Eureka! I have it!" Spyro was jolted back to reality and abruptly stopped clawing at the crystal. He turned to face Volteer, whose eyes stopped glowing as he relinquished control of the room. "I theorize that in addition to general magical fatigue, you have been returned to the state you were in during the time before you had access to your abilities. Breaking that green gem must have evoked a unique sensation in your mind, correct?" asked the electric guardian.

"It felt like a memory," replied Spyro, who didn't want to reveal all of the touchy details of his experience. Volteer smiled and nodded knowingly.

"The ancient blood that runs through our veins channels the instincts and abilities that our ancestors evolved as they hunted and survived throughout the ages. We gained the ability to take advantage of the green gems that grow naturally on our planet to fuel our mana which we use to power our magical abilities. When young dragons who have not gained their elemental abilities yet are exposed to such crystals, their inner mana attempts to awaken. I hypothesize that the reason it felt like a memory was returning to you when you were breaking the green crystal is that you have essentially unlearned your elements," explained the electric guardian.

"But where did the feeling come from?" asked Spyro.

"Because you do not have an element in your mana to direct the green gem energy to, the logical progression is for the energy to try to awaken an element within you. You see, most dragons' manas are built in a way that once their primal element is awakened, their mana becomes the essence of that element. The mana of purple dragons however is designed slightly differently. Whenever you gain a new element, a separate chamber is formed inside your existing mana to house that element. Currently because your mana is empty or "blank" as it is scientifically known, your body is instinctively trying to 'jumpstart' your mana and give it an initial elemental identity. When our instincts are called upon, they tend to bring primordial sensory to our awareness such as our innate knowledge of how to fly or a hatchling's attachment to its mother…"

Spyro politely half listened to what the yellow dragon was saying, nodding his head and responding when appropriate. Even though he looked like he was following along, the purple dragon found that his mind wandered to other things at hand, like how they were going to help rebuild, when was the next time he could he see his parents, Cynder. Spyro was worried about her in particular. Something seemed to be troubling her at dinner. The purple dragon decided that he would reconcile with her later after he was done with Volteer. Eventually, the yellow dragon finished his explanation.

"Do you have any further questions, Spyro?" asked the electric guardian. Hearing his name, Spyro looked up.

"No, they've all been answered, thank you," replied the purple dragon. Volteer smiled, slightly with pride.

"Very well. That is all I need of you tonight. You are dismissed," said the electric guardian. After nodding to Volteer in respect, Spyro exited the training chamber and proceeded back down the hallway to the main front chamber of the conservatory, where Sparx was hovering in a corner by one of the marble dragon statues.

"Hey Sparx, have you seen Cynder?" asked Spyro. The sleepy dragonfly turned to his brother.

"She just went outside. She was saying something about a walk in the garden and needing some fresh air to think about something... Whatever that's about."

"Alright. Thanks for telling me," said Spyro as he walked outside. Sparx watched the purple dragon go, shaking his head slowly.

* * *

The night air was on the colder side, and the celestial moons shined over the trees of the conservatory garden, adding their pale light to the luminous blue glow that the local flora already provided. Spyro walked along the garden path, taking in its beauty. Mystical plants dotted the sides of the pathway through the garden: flowers that would open up and shimmer purple as Spyro walked by them, blue crystals that simply hung in the air, covered in vines that bore golden fruit. Spyro wondered if it was draconian magic that enchanted these plants, and would've loved to explore the wonders of the garden more thoroughly, but he had a specific goal in mind.

Eventually the path gained an incline, wrapping in a circle around the garden and steadily rising in elevation until it led up to a small ridge overlooking the garden. It was here that Spyro found who he was looking for. At the edge of the small cliff sat Cynder staring up into the two moons. The black dragoness heard pawsteps behind her and briefly turned around, but when she saw who it was, her gaze returned to the night sky.

"It's really beautiful here," said Spyro as he moved next to Cynder and sat down. The expression on Cynder's muzzle brightened a bit.

"The plant life here is really something, isn't it?" replied Cynder who turned to meet Spyro's friendly gaze. "The moons are especially bright tonight." Cynder smiled thoughtfully as she looked back up into the starry night sky, Spyro following her gaze. "I've always liked them, the celestial moons. You can lose yourself in them. Forget who you are, what's happening to you. It all just goes away." Both drakes sat, staring into the dark heavens for a few moments, taking in the beauty of the scene.

"It's good to let go like that sometimes I guess, like now with the war being over and all," said Spyro, breaking the silence as he turned to Cynder. "But you can't just dream your entire life away." The hint of a smile that was beginning to appear on Cynder's muzzle vanished, her expression returning to its previous unemotional state.

"Not everyone is as proud of the life they lead as you Spyro," said the black dragoness darkly. Spyro recoiled. Cynder immediately regretted her words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Cynder sighed. Both drakes stared ahead for a while, not a word passing between them. Eventually, Spyro turned to face Cynder.

"Ignitus once told me an old saying back at the temple. In life, we all do things that we end up regretting later on, but life isn't a matter of never making mistakes. It's how much you redeem yourself by doing good that matters the most," said the purple dragon. Cynder smiled.

"Thanks… that's actually really encouraging…" she then noticed Spyro's sorrowful expression. Cynder understood at once and brought her ruby wing over Spyro's back comfortingly. "I'm sorry… sorry we lost him. No one will ever replace who Ignitus was to you." Spyro looked up to meet her gaze. For the first time in all that Cynder had known him, she saw Spyro's eyes tearing over.

"It's just… how can he be gone… just like that? One moment he's with us, guiding us onward… and the next… dead… all in an instant?" Spyro turned away, holding back his tears with all his might. Cynder held the purple dragon close with her wing. Neither said a word. After a few minutes of silence, Spyro looked up, his moment of grief passed.

"When... when I lost Ignitus back in the Belt of Fire, I thought I had lost everything. All that I thought I was fighting for back there felt like it was falling out from under me." Spyro turned, gazing into Cynder's eyes. "Until I discovered who I was really fighting for."Cynder immediately felt her heart beat quicken in her chest. "Everyone up until that point had believed in us all along, but when we left everyone behind to travel through the Burned Lands... There was only one voice that drove me onward." Cynder's sapphire eyes widened.

"I was fighting for you, Cynder."

The black dragoness looked down, her face radiating with happiness as a smile slowly broke out across her muzzle. "Wow… That… That means a lot to me, Spyro."

'More than you might know,' she thought to herself. After a moment of silence, the two young drakes resumed their conversation, now full of cheeriness. An internal peace had come over Cynder as she and Spyro talked, laughing and enjoying each other's company late into the night. Even though they were going past their curfew, Cynder didn't care. She had made her decision.

* * *

**********If you liked the chapter, or have some constructive criticism, please review. I really appreciate it =)**

******Tihs cheapter suck; I em terrible writor, but I still now how use semicolon, see? ; see? ; SEE?! ;;;... ****and now it's time to cut the bullshit out with a dagger... with a dagger... WITH A DAGGER! ಠ益ಠ**

**So I was holding up a 6 foot shovel around in my backyard during a lightning storm when, lo and behold, I suddenly found myself dead. I specifically had it in my will for my crispy corpse to be mailed to Dardarax in an envelope that I myself prepared. I only wrote "To Canada" on the label, and didn't include much postage. I hope I was specific enough! D=**

**This chapter was written in many different sessions, and reading over it again, it feels like so much happened. I'm not doing an official soundtrack for this story like I did with my other one… but the ending scenes for this chapter was inspired by the song "A Message" by Coldplay, which really sums up the whole of this chapter quite well.**

**Also, thank you to Unit Omicron and Airchi for chatting with me while I wrote this chapter out. You should check out their stories, **_**Eternal Slumber**_**, and **_**Elemental Darkness**_** (respectively) if you can. Unit's story has a nice friendship vibe with an interesting backstory, and Airchi's is a nice "classic" Post-DoTD continuation fic. I guess one could consider our three fanfics together "Sister stories" in the section at the moment because of the close contacts we have between each other XD**

**Also, thanks to my genius beta reader and mentor, Lithos Maitreya, whom without the help of, I wouldn't be at the point in writing where I am today. =)**

**Enjoy yourselves!**


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